Diligent
by loveequalslove
Summary: Adrian DeBlanc is a 16 year old boy who after spending his life in Amity, a faction built on peacefulness, decides to transfer to the most intelligent faction of all, Erudite. He meets Sabrina Johnson who teaches him that Chicago is not as perfect as he thinks. Horror and tragedy befall when he learns that the world he once knew is crumbling and the world to come is much darker.


**Chapter 1**

The air is cool and thick, a sweep of wind crosses my path, and I am left unassertive of what this day will mean. I sweep my dark black hair across my face. I place the basket under the tree, picking as much apples as I can. Even today, even when we were supposed to make the most important decisions of our lives on Choosing Day, the Amity still made us carry out our chores peacefully. Peaceful. That's what we were known as. We remain mutual relations, friendships were valued, peace was always the better alternative to war.

Although I thought I was stupid. I understood why they thought the way they did, but you can't always just stay clear from conflict; anyone with a brain knows that. If you remain out of situation, you will be blamed for it. The same way I think it's arrogant to watch innocent people die because it's not your war. I don't think war is the best alternative but I feel it's only necessary if the time comes to act. I'd like to believe Abnegation, know that. Maybe the best way to solve problems was to not create them. That was the honest truth although no one seemed to understand that. 100 years ago there was a war that swept across the United States before that there were conflicts and mass destruction. History isn't clear for certain but I wish we'd stop repeating ourselves. The city of Chicago had remained peaceful for so long. We were probably the only humans in the world left.

My best friend looks at me, Josh Hornsby. We see two teenagers, that I honestly never cared to know their names fight with each other. I whisper to Josh. "Do you think they'll choose Amity?" I ask. "Probably not," he says respectfully. He grabs his basket of pairs and we retreat to the biggest tree surrounding the wooden dome architecture of our faction. I accidentally drop an apple. "The squirrels will pick it up," Josh says. The reason Josh and I became friends is because we were very alike. He had been an only child, we had just turned 16 and our birthdays were relatively close, we both wanted to leave Amity badly even though we knew our parents would be upset, we both wanted to be leaders in the Faction of our choosing, but we still didn't know which Faction was best for us.

Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Erudite, Dauntless. These were the choices we were given. These were the choices we had to make. I personally never felt like I belonged anywhere but today that would all change my life forever.

"Have you thought much about your decision?" Josh asks me. "Aren't we not allowed to say?" I ask. "That's very much true but I at least know you want to leave. "I can't stand the peace serum they place in the cake; I want to be free but I don't want to end up like the Factionless who have no place in society." I didn't understand why they were treated differently but they were.

He says it so casual but I guess that's how most people where. Abnegation seemed to actually care but then again they were seen as the most kinder faction and all the other factions saw them as unprepared to make harsh decisions. We start walking slower when we approach Johanna Reyes. Johanna was a beautiful woman despite a scar that had masked her face. She was the leader of amity, well not leader but more the representative of our faction. She left Candor when she was 16; I've always wondered why but I've never had the nerve to ask her.

"Hello boys," she says in a collective manner. "Johanna, it's nice to see you. It seems work is always dividing us. I wanted to see you to discuss..." I begin. "We can discuss after. I'm having a meeting, a farewell is you want to call it. I know that today is the last day you'll all be here. So, I decided since you will leave in a few hours to celebrate the lives you had here."

"Sounds like a funeral," Josh mutters. "Adrian DeBlanc, it's optional. You don't have to go if you do not wish to," Johanna looks at me in the eyes. She called me by my full name which means she honestly believe I will stay here. I don't blame her, I always have been opposed to war and adhered to peace.

I actually do decide to attend despite all my efforts to say no, but it would be dumb to just cast it all aside after all this faction has done for me. Madeline, a girl with red hair and a petite smile looks at me while I serve myself a red liquid drink, punch they call it, although I'm not sure. Names like punch seem foreign to me. "Hey, Josh decided not to come." I look her over the drink in my hand. "Does this mean? In regards to your relationship." I don't mean to stir anything. "Secretly I knew it would have to end; I just didn't think it would be so soon."

We head over to table with all the food and serve ourselves. She helps; although I don't ask. Madeline was always kind; too kind. I feel her intentions were well received but I didn't picture as fearless if it came to battle or some fiasco of that nature.

"Hello, everyone." Johanna says more gently than ever. It doesn't take the tapping of glass or a loud voice to catch their attention. She was drawing like that; people just seemed to stay silent when she spoke. "I've gathered all of you tonight because this is where you have all invested your childhood. Soon you'll make your decisions to stay or leave this place. I want you," She looks at me. "That Amity is always your home," They all raise their nonalcoholic drinks up. Cheers. Then it's over.

 **. . .**

My mother looks at me the way she always does when she's concerned. I'm still not done with my last meal. "Adrian, I know we haven't talked much recently and I understand it's because you don't want me to overbear your choice. But whatever you chose I'll always love you and I'm proud that your my son. Your father would agree with me if he were here." she says looking at me with the most sincerest eyes. She looks down at the wooden plates and starts washing them once she sees my face. Yes, I was sad but I still had this content feeling that I was about to start a next chapter of my life.

A few years ago, when I was 12 my father got in an accident. He was a lumberjack and my mother attended the gardens. He did everything he could do to support and one night mysteriously he died. It was the middle of the night, they found his body. He was near a stream that crosses through the thickness of the trees, dead, near the Amity compound. It was ruled a suicide. No-one knew why; it was unheard of. An Amity dying. Usually Dauntless got all that attention, but it falsely didn't matter to anyone because it was common and it just became normal. Secretly Dad had been drinking, he waisted his life, he was having an affair. That didn't seem like the end of his problems. I heard _his_ child died and so did his wife. A factionelss woman. I never heard the story. I didn't want to hear the story. Snipets is what I got. I don't know if it was because he had lost everything, his family who were Dauntless, and he transferred. He probably thought he could start a new life.

"Mother, if this is about Dad. Don't worry. I understand the consequences for my actions. I promise you I will, I promise you, never fail you." I say hugging her. "You've never failed me Adrian," she whispers into my ear.

The Choosing Ceremony is all I think about.


End file.
